Telenovela Actor Comes Out as Member of LGBTQ+ Community

Brazilian actor Amaury Lorenzo is living his truth. Lorenzo, who can currently be seen as closeted gay cowboy Ramiro opposite his onscreen love interest Diego Martins’s Kelvin in the telenovela Terra e Paixão, came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in a recent interview with Extra, telling the outlet when asked if he identified as part of the community, “of course I do.”

“I consider myself an LGBTQ+ man. It’s possible that in the future I could marry another man, cis or trans, or a woman, cis or trans,” the actor told the outlet. “I know audiences are curious to know my sexuality. I don’t have a problem with that. I just hope that topic doesn’t overshadow my work as an actor.”

The actor has rose to stardom on Terra e Paixão, a series that has been praised for its LGBTQIA+ representation. The hit Brazilian soap opera has documented the fan-favorite love story between Ramiro and Kelvin. At the start of the series, Lorenzo’s Ramiro starts as a closeted gay man who attempts to repress any feelings he has for another man. Martin’s Kelvin, on the other hand, is an openly queer activist. The two characters have been at the center of a slow-burn romance, with viewers giving them the ship name Kelmiro. Amid the Kelmiro fanfare, Lorenzo told Extra that his DMs have been flooded with thirst traps.

“[I’ve been receiving] a lot of nudes! One of these days I was running at the beach and had to stop all the time to take pictures with fans. One of those fans asked if they could touch my ass. I allowed it, whatever,” he shared.

In the interview, Lorenzo also opened up about his decision to publicly come out and speak up for the LGBTQ+ community, tragically revealing, “I’m a theater teacher and I had three students murdered for being LGBTQIA+.” Lorenzo explained, “One was killed by his father. I welcomed a friend into my home who was beaten for being with another man on the street. I’ve had former students expelled by evangelical parents for being gay. How can I not be in this fight?”

Prior to coming out, per, Gay Times, the actor used his Instagram account to fight back against homophobia and prejudice. In an Oct. 13 post, who noted, “Brazil is the country that kills the most lgbtqia+ people in the world. It is urgent to fight for life, for the simple right to live. The fight for rights, for the constitutional right to life. This fight is for everyone, not just lgbtqia+ people. But of all and all. It’s the fight for life.” Meanwhile, in August, Brazil’s High Court ruled that homophobic hate speech is a crime.